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Barack Obama’s Irish Ancestors were in Politics

Apparently Mark Twain was dead-on when he said, “Why waste your time and money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you!â€ Of course, he obviously didn’t understand the fun and passion behind family history research! But I digress. Both friend and foe have been digging into presidential candidate Barack Obama’s diverse family history and this week the findings came in partÂ from overseas. Eneclann FamilyÂ History ResearchÂ in IrelandÂ has revealed that his political roots run deep. You can read the EneclannÂ findings here.

In addition, our friend Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak had also been doing some digging into the reasons his ancestor immigrated to America. You can read her findings here.

So, should I decide to take up politics, will someone please help me figure out who Thomas Howley’s parents were? And when was he born? He was terrible when it came to telling people his age!

I have noticed that within a few days of the Presidential election in the U.S., an ancestral-research firm usually announces the President-elect’s family history … and it often includes an “Irish part.” Witness Ronald Reagan’s descent from a tiny village in Tipperary that – after his election – had to pave its main road in anticipation of the hordes of tourists. Obama’s election was no exception. As the old saying went, Ireland’s chief export was her people.